Standards

How to send in a potential Standard

Use this form to send in a herbarium specimen and/or an image for the designation of a Standard Specimen of a new cultivar, to be placed in the RHS Herbarium. There is no charge for this process.

Application form

What is required

• Fresh cut material
• Illustrations are an additional bonus
• Details of the plant's history

Please note that a pressed herbarium specimen will be prepared from your material and we shall make a detailed description including colour references before pressing. Ideally, therefore, we need fresh material displaying clearly the characteristics of flower, foliage and/or fruit which distinguish the new cultivar from existing ones.

Except with smaller plants, where it may not be feasible, you should aim to provide sufficient material to fill a herbarium sheet of about 40 x 27cm (16 x 10in).

Specimens should be placed individually in dry polythene bags, labelled clearly using a waterproof pen or pencil and packed in a crush-proof box or padded envelope, as appropriate. The package should be sent by first-class post and marked 'Standard'.

We do not need living rooted plants.

Photographs, preferably 35mm slides/transparencies, should include a close-up and also one displaying the habit of the plant.

As some characteristics are lost during pressing we also need to know the size (height and spread) of the plant, habit (e.g. weeping, erect), scent and any other features that you have noticed.

Include the nursery catalogue or a dated excerpt in which your plant was first described and any other details of its history and parentage (which can remain confidential if necessary).

Further information

For further information contact:

Herbarium Research Assistant (Standards)

Tel: 44 (0)1483 224234
Fax: 44 (0)1483 217750